Don't Worry - Be Happy

Kids were created so that I wouldn't have a lack of something to worry about. Being in charge of five brains along with my own is cause enough for daily worries. It's a good thing that they bring plenty of happy thoughts to make up for it.

Pictures that make me happy to be a mom....

Just smile La! Please.

Carrying our picnic lunch - don't worry Jarin, it will be lighter on the way back.

#1 reason Rebekah and Kerri think the dentist is the place to go.

A true gentleman carries his sister's pink and purple backpacks home each day after school.

Can we stop reading please?

Rule #101 - no reading at the dinner table.

I was told that the counter was not the dinner table.

Rule #102 - no reading while eating!

Finding Oreo in the garbage can.

Last but not least....

After a good deal of brotherly affectionate maneuvers downstairs, Trevor was guided to mom and dad's bed to go to sleep - this is what we found.

Mom: the ability to worry and be happy at the same time.

I'll take it!

Home-Loving

One evening, my wonderful neighbor surprised me with a generous bag of ripe peaches. The next day I rushed to a local farm to buy a box of raspberries. With two recipe books and the Internet as my guide, I created (all on my own for the very first time) two batches of canned raspberry/peach jam, one batch of freezer raspberry/peach jam and one batch of freezer raspberry/rhubarb jam (made just for my dad). Whoohoo! I was on a roll.

Later, a visit to my amazing sister-in-law who cans EVERYTHING ignited a home-loving feeling in me. I wanted to try my hand at canning peaches. I returned to the local farm to purchase two bushels of peaches. I had high expectations of myself that day. After 21 quarts of peaches and sticky floors, I started to wonder what the heck I was doing. I remained loyal to the last batch and came out with 42 quarts. I vowed not to can peaches again unless I got them for free or they came off of my yet to be planted peach trees. Two days of viewing my strenuous labor spread out on the table ultimately gave me back my home-loving feeling. Maybe I will do applesauce next month.

I am happy to see that our garden is toiling and producing with great effort as well.

Here we have some yummy red potatoes that have mutated and some are 'home-loving' too- oh dear.

Whose kid is that?

Kerri's favorite outfit... a rumpled up pink kitty shirt from the laundry basket (the dirty laundry basket) and a pair of torn pants.

That's my girl.

Urkel Alert

Remember Steve Urkel in the 90's comedy sitcom Family Matters?

Well, my kids didn't - until now.

At the present it's a toss up of who is the coolest nerd - Urkel or Napoleon Dynamite.

I vote for Napoleon.

Jarin as Steve Urkel.

Annoying? Yes - that's what brothers do.

Nerdy? Yes, in a good school way.

Snorts? No.

And so it begins....

Football Season

"They're here!" Jarin yelled as he tore open the big manila envelope that sheltered the long awaited U of U football season tickets.

One of Cameron's many aspirations for moving back to Utah was to become a true red season ticket holder to the Ute games (going on three years now) with his best friend Jason.

At the present, we are proud owners of two seats at the Rice-Eccles Stadium. Since Jason has kids the same age as ours, he and Cam unselfishly distribute one ticket seat for the kids and wives to fight over while keeping their one seat to themselves. It is a much celebrated date with dad when it's your turn to go to a game.

It's a great tradition that I am beginning to revel in myself. It won't be long before Jarin claims his own season seat all to himself. Until then, there is one seat on Halloween evening that is up for dibs.

Candy or U of U game?

Hmmmm...

That's a tough one.

Go Utes!

These are always my favorite pictures!

Go Utes! Go BYU!

School Days

Makayla - 8th Grade

This cute teenager has spoiled me.....

*I wake up each morning to her beautiful piano music.

*She is incredibly responsible and helpful.

*Not once have I had to tell her to do her homework since 4th grade.

I think I will keep her.

Jarin - 5th Grade

Trevor - 2nd Grade

As I drove the boys to their first day of school, the tears I never knew I had started escaping. What?! I've never cried in all of my mommy days of dropping kids off to school.

Jarin noticed and exclaimed, "Mom - don't get emotional! Roll up the windows, that's embarrassing!"

I reassured him that my sunglasses were enough cover to not put anyone to shame. Then I admitted that I would miss them and wished for more summer days.

Jarin promised that he and Trev would be home soon enough to cause trouble. I dropped them off, wiped my tears and drove home to await my two troubles.

Rebekah and Kerri started afternoon kindergarten a week later. This time the tears began to flow before I even reached the school. My ladybugs were leaving to school and their gigantic backpacks didn't even fit them - sniff sniff.

This was my final time of taking kids to their very first day of school - how did they grow up so fast?

My melancholy mood ended as I drove away to embark on my first day of freedom. I had anticipated this moment for a long time and I now had 2 1/2 hours to do whatever I wanted all by myself - yeah!

Half way into my first day of freedom, I was standing in the check out line admiring my purchases when my cell phone rang. It was Trevor's teacher asking me to consider putting Trev in the AM track. (Our school has 2 tracks - one group of kids start at 8:00 - Early Birds, the second group starts at 9:10 - Later Gators. This allows for small group teaching in the classroom.)

Knowing that this move would cut down my independence time, I deliberated for a whole 10 minutes and decided this would be a good idea.

Trevor's first day of being an Early Bird brought much peace to our morning - seeing that Jarin could focus on his morning routine without the display of brotherly affection interfering.

Trev came home 1 hour and 15 minutes earlier than the Later Gator crew and declared, "Mom, being an Early Bird is a great idea because you only have to be alone for 1 1/2 hours!"

I agree - I love our one-on-one time.

Rebekah and Kerri

Kindergarten

When I ordered the backpacks, Kerri announced that she wanted a pink backpack and Rebekah wanted a purple one - the good old switch- a- roo.

Who am I to tell them what colors to get?

Now to train the rest of the family.

Happy Birthday Cam!

High School Days

Did you know that Dr. Suess submitted his book to 32 publishers before it was accepted? Cupid struck his arrow good and deep when I first met Cameron at Snow College. I didn’t know it at the time due to girly feelings for another young man. However, at an opening social institute dance, I spied the tall handsome Cameron standing and chatting with a herd of Japanese students (Cam’s mission was to Japan). I knew then and there that I had to chase him down. There was something about him that intrigued me. The name Jensen is not to be taken lightly. Any one born from the Jensen family have amazing powers (skills). The most visible power being….they just CAN NOT sit down! (I admire this power, having said that, I am grateful that I do not posses a drop of Jensen blood – I enjoy lounging around and shooting the breeze.) His parents and siblings hold this power in addition to their own individual abilities. Cameron’s individual power is his thirst for knowledge. That is what intrigued me. This boy had a nerdy side that I loved. Cameron’s bookshelf would make a professor droll. He has rows of improvement books, problem solving books, leadership and management skills books, and columns of mechanical engineering books. Each book has been read and underlined to his satisfaction – some multiple times. This flair for knowledge has no ends, so I learned as the children arrived one by one. The day Makayla was born was a turning point in our lives. Being a brand new daddy, Cameron sat in the hospital cuddling Makayla in his arms with an earnest gaze on his face. He turned to me and said, “I think I’m going to get another degree.” Another? I had just graduated from SUU with my teaching degree a month earlier. Cameron had one quarter left to complete his mathematics/science degree to teach high school. Our plan was to settle in a small town and be old fuddy duddy teachers. Makayla’s arrival made Cameron realize that starting a 20 grand salary teaching school was not going to cut it for a stay-at-home mom and future children. I sat in my comfy hospital bed a little baffled at this new announcement and just nodded my head. What proceeded was three years of additional school which produced a bachelor of science degree to teach school, a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and a bouncing baby boy. As Cameron sat in the hospital chair now holding Jarin – just three weeks after graduating from the U of U, I thought that the latter degree had satisfied his hunger for knowledge. Little did I know that his brain had not yet sat down. Trevor was born, along with Cameron’s knack for inventing. I came home from the hospital with my squishy Trev and Cameron came home with a pretty awesome patent invention to help the mining industry. When the twin ladybugs were born, all ideas were halted for the space of three years. Once I was on my feet and supportive, Cameron enrolled in the EMBA program at the U of U. He LOVES it! Did I mention that his ‘nerdation’ brain comes from his father? Yep, the two together could fill a library of manuals full of improvement ideas and inventions, along with a good book of quotes. I confess that my mind wanders when Cameron launches into the latest greatest – but I wouldn’t have it any other way! He’s not a ‘Jensen’ for nothing. Did you know that Edison discovered 1000 ways not to make a light bulb? When you think like that – nothing can stop you! Happy Birthday Jensen!

Father's Day

Whoever started the tradition of breakfast in bed for dads on Father's Day did not realize that I slept in on Sundays. At 8 am that morning, Cameron came into the room after being awake for 2 hours and informed me that he was hungry. I slid out of bed to make not one, but two honorary breakfasts. I had two dads to pay homage to that day.

While I was making whole grain pancakes, eggs and bacon, Cameron took a shower, read his Sunday lesson and started into his homework reading assignments - biding his time.

I had my dad come upstairs to partake breakfast in one bed so that we could swarm the two of them at once with our chorus of He's a Jolly Good Fellow.

Swarming!

Oh dear, I can't put in the picture who this beautiful girl is. I am sure that the ladybugs will inform me as soon as they see their - no, not face, but the picture that is colored for daddy.

Happy Father's Day!

Rio Tinto Stadium

Cameron is employed by Kennecott (who is owned by Rio Tinto) as a senior engineer. This summer Rio Tinto treated all of their employees to a fun free filled evening at the Rio Tinto Stadium.

Face Painting

Kerri ---- Rebekah

The princess crowns stayed on their foreheads for three days before the girls would wash them off.

The boys thought face painting was for sissies until they saw some scary examples of what tough boys can be.

Oh the food! All the concession stands were open for freeeeeee. Trevor's eyes where huge as he ordered a hotdog, a pretzel, a box of popcorn, a pop and a cookie. The kids had a hayday and ordered their hearts out. We had to avoid walking around the concession stands for fear that they would see something new and want it - hence the waffle cones.

Soccer clinics with the REAL soccer players and two free soccer balls.

After all the food and fun games, we settled on the field to watch a late night Disney movie with more popcorn and lemonade slushees.

After the movie, we lost two kids in the crowd going home. It was not an experience I want to relate. Needless to say, we found Trevor on one end of the stadium and Rebekah wandering the other way from the bathrooms. Cameron went home with an upset stomach and exhausted (due to losing kids - not from eating too much), and the rest of us went home grateful and happy to be together.

Thanks Rio Tinto!

More Familia Fun

What is familia?

Abuelita and Lica

Mother and Daughter Bonding

Kylee - Aden - Andres

Cute younger brother surrounded with cuteness.

Lico - Mike- Adriana - Lica

Brand new babies.

Silly Dilly Days

Holy Handsome Grandsons

Food - Yummy Food!

Lica and Pinatas

Side note: we have gone through several pinatas through the years to finally discover the one and only teenage tested pinata - the Costco milk box - decorated or not.

SUGAR!!!

Bubble Fun - love this picture of Kerri that Aunt Kylee took.

Familia is Forever!

Familia Fun

Lico and Lica's visit this summer....

Downstairs in our home we have a guest room for all those that dare visit the Jensenite family. We love to play host and invite all that will partake.

The guest room is actually called 'Lico and Lica's Room'. We love it when Lico and Lica visit us from Virginia.

Celebrating my Abuelita's 87th birthday with three pinatas.

Okay, here's the bona fide truth on her age. In a nutshell, according to two reliable sources (my aunt and my mom), my Abuelita is really 97 years old! Whoah! How did that happen? My Abuelita grew up in a small village in Chile where priests visited every few years to record deaths, births and marriages. Sometimes the priest wouldn't show up for years and when he did, he recorded the children's birth the year he visited even if the child was a few years old. My Abuelita was about 10 years old when a priest finally showed up to take the village census.

She just made herself 10 years younger - hey, it's in the records.

How cool it that?

Disclaimer: this really is just a joke in the family, however, there is some truth to the story. How much? We may never know.

Abuelita gathering candy after hitting her very own pinata.

Doesn't she look amazing for being 87 years old? Shhhh...97 years old.

So much sugar!

Jarin

La La

My cute squirt.

My cute hubby.

My cute daddy.

We love spending time with Lico and Lica.

We miss you and love you!